| A good trainer will work to not only make you | | | | consciously changing this habit. It is taking a while, but I |
| stronger, more fit, and less squishy, but also to help | | | | am managing to break the habit. How do you drive? |
| improve your overall movement and to contribute to | | | | Same as me? Shoulders forward? Hip hiked over to |
| healthy joints and tissues. We do this by working on | | | | one side? If you spend a lot of time in your car, these |
| symmetry, and focusing on stability and mobility in the | | | | small deviations from normal posture can be causing |
| right places. But typically, the time you spend working | | | | problems. |
| out is just not enough to counteract the habits we all | | | | Ever sleep on your stomach? And do you get low |
| have throughout the "other 23 hours of the day". | | | | back pain often? Sleeping on your stomach tends to |
| What habits am I talking about? The way we stand, sit, | | | | leave you with excessive extension in your low back |
| walk, sleep, watch tv, and drive all impact our bodies. | | | | which can cause problems over time. |
| We all have habits that we do every day. Many of | | | | How about watching television? Is your television over |
| them seem to be so minute, and yet we do them so | | | | to the left so that your neck is always turned one way |
| much that in fact we do them in huge volumes. That | | | | whenever you watch? How many shows a day? And |
| adds up and can have a big impact on our ability to | | | | you say you get neck pain on the right? Maybe it is |
| move well. Do you know what yours are? | | | | time to move the furniture around.ow about when you |
| Do you talk on the phone a lot at work? If so, where is | | | | unload the dishwasher? Or grab something from a low |
| your phone when you are at your desk? If you have | | | | cupboard. Do you bend at the hips or the back to get |
| to reach too far for it, and you are doing so multiple | | | | those dishes out? Not sure? Check it out next time. |
| times a day, that can be a problem. For instance, if you | | | | Those of you who bend at the back, how is that low |
| have to reach to the right each time you grab the | | | | back doing? And for those of you who bend at the |
| receiver, you may find that you get low back pain on | | | | back, can you touch your toes? If not, I bet you think it |
| the left side. Sound familiar? | | | | is because you are not flexible? Guess what, it is |
| How is your driving posture? I recently was screened | | | | probably not your flexibility. It is that you bend wrong. |
| with the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) golf | | | | Crazy sounding, I know! But in about 3 minutes, I can |
| movement screen and discovered that I have limited | | | | improve your range of motion in a toe touch by |
| thoracic spine rotation on the left and that my shoulder | | | | several inches. The fact that is possible means it is not |
| external rotation is also limited on that side. Several | | | | flexibility. It is movement patterning. Now think about |
| hours later while driving I noticed that I always drive | | | | how many times a day you bend to pick something up |
| with my left hand on the top of the steering wheel in a | | | | or get something from a low cupboard. How many |
| position that has my left shoulder stretched forward. | | | | bends is that in a year? A lot! Your poor lumbar discs |
| Then I started to wonder if that might be the cause of | | | | do not like bending like that. |
| the limitation. Do I know for certain if it is? No. But I do | | | | Over the next week, take stock of how you move |
| suspect it is a contributor. How could it not be? I spend | | | | every day, and try to find some of your little postural |
| hours fixed in an unnatural position that now feels | | | | habits like those noted above. Then work on changing |
| normal to me and "coincidentally" I have a movement | | | | them. |
| limitation around that same joint. I am now working on | | | | |